Have A Happy Friday: Will the iPad blend?

Thanks to Austin for sending me today’s blog. The iPad came out last Saturday. This video has already been viewed almost 4 million times. Now that’s viral marketing. Hank

Electric Motorcycles

This blog entry was submitted by ENTR200 9am Team 10 Tony on behalf of his team members Jeff and Meiqi. It is the last of student-submitted blog entries; the wording is Tony’s. Hank

There is that moment in everyone’s life where they come up with some idea that they feel would change the world. That moment is generally followed by some more deliberation, also known as feasibility analysis. My idea involved an electric motorcycle and my feasibility analysis ignored the fact I have never ridden a motorcycle and that  I am a poor college student. I doo have a few things going for me. I am a physics major so I like to think I know how most of this stuff works. I also know CAD, welding and machining. Most importantly, I am afraid to talk to girls, so that frees up a lot of time for me to work on something like this. A couple months ago, I decided to seize the diem and started to convert a 1978 Suzuki GS550 to all-electric.

Since the electric vehicle (EV) knowledge base is just starting to expand, I will give a brief overview of how this stuff works. As you’d expect, the central item to EV design is the battery pack, since it is (generally) the largest and heaviest part. There are several different battery chemistries available and each have advantages and disadvantages. My motorcycle uses four deep cycle lead acid batteries which are wired in series. The pack takes up nearly all the area where the old motor use to be.  Fully charged, it has a capacity of 2.65kWh of energy, which is equivalent to about a tenth a gallon of gas, however, I should have a range of 15-20 miles.

The controller I am using is an Alltrax 4844. It uses IGBTs to make a PWM signal that switches at 18kHz and can output 400A. (Translation:  This is a magical box that controls the power going to the motor.)   It also has a RS-232 output which allows you to remap the throttle,  data logging and you can even add a turbo functions. Peak power of this system should be about 25 horsepower.

My motor is a Mars Etek RT.  It has a eight inch diameter, about 6 inches long and weighs about 40 pounds. It is a permanent magnet DC motor, so you connect two wires, apply a voltage and it will spin. In EV’s the motor controller is what determines the power output, the motor just supplies the electrical to mechanical conversion coefficient and the thermal mass to allow it to operate at high powers for longer periods of time without melting…..and molten metal is a bad thing. Don’t ask me how I know.

I bet your wondering where the innovation is at this point. My trump card is the method I will use to charge it. This motorcycle will not be kept in a garage, so even when it is not being ridden, it will be outside. In Indiana, you can expect about 1000W per square meter from the sun and based on current photovoltaic efficiencies (that are available for reasonable prices), you can convert about 200W per square meter  of that to electricity. Next, I had to determine a way to integrate solar panels onto a motorcycle without it looking totally ridiculous. What I will be doing is using linear actuators to lower the side fairings with the photovoltaics incorporated into them. For version 1.0, I was only able to shove about 40-50W into the system, which means I will get an additional mile of range for every 2 hours in the sun.

I expect this motorcycle to be out on the road within a month. I still have make a full custom fiberglass body, finish the solar system, rebuild the brakes and attend classes. It will also be out on Memorial Mall April 17th for Spring Fest. My future plans are twofold, first, I will genetically engineer a tree to grow money and second, I will build a much better, much faster motorcycle that will be competitive or better than its internal combustion counterparts.

Netflix’s Business Model Under Attack?

Netflix’s innovative business model has proven to be a success.  They’ve set a new industry standard, and their way of doing business has had a direct impact on the way consumers rent their videos.  After decades of doing business in West Lafayette, our own Movie Gallery is closing, probably due to a combination of  competition with both Redbox and Netflix.  [Hank I noticed Hollywood video by the Tippy Mall is also closed.] But now Netflix is also faced with a challenge that threatens the future of their  current business model.  In an effort to reduce expenses, the US Postal Service proposes discontinuing its Saturday mail service. That leaves a 2 day gap in delivery  and turnaround time for Netflix users.   For a company who relies on the Post Office for its business model to run smoothly: unbelievably quick delivery and returns on video’s via  mail, this could be a problem.

Already forced to pay higher rates on postage with the constant increases in postal rates, Netflix seems to be at the mercy of USPS decisions.  But doesn’t USPS need the income from Netflix to survive as well?  Netflix will spend about $600 million in postage in 2010.  Still, this seems to be less than it costs them to stream videos because of high licensing costs associated withstreaming.  Will Netflix customers become frustrated with a slower turnaround of their videos and look to their competition to satisfy their needs?  Or can Netflix adapt to the postal service changes?  And if they somehow manage to stream all videos in the future and dump the USPS as part of their way of doing business, what will happen to the United Postal Service?  Any predictions? Bottom line, where is video headed and how do you as entrepreneurs position yourselves to take maximum advantage of where it lands. [Hank: From my perspective, video on the iPad and/or big screen totally streamed is where it's at.] Beth Carroll

Google Chrome & the NexusOne

Photo taken from: http://www.onecomics.it/12/09/2008/google-sfida-microsoft-con-chrome/

This blog was submitted by ENTR200 10:30 team 7 Jaideep, Kelly, Blake and Spencer.

Google unveiled its own operating system last year called the Google Chrome OS. It is the first cloud based operating system by Google. It is open-sourced and primary meant to be used in netbooks.  All the data is stored in the Google servers. This was one of the biggest announcements made by Google last year. The internet media was and still is still skeptical about its future. They say cloud computing can never fully take off. But do remember this: When Google launched its Android OS for Mobile phones; it didn’t look like a threat to the iPhone. And if you look now, it’s fast catching up. The android has turned out to be a surprise hit in mobile phones. Over 30 new phones carrying Android will be introduced this year. Sergey Brin, Co-founder of Google, speaking informally to reporters after the company’s Chrome OS announcement, said “Android and Chrome will likely converge over time.”

Till then, I am having a good experience with Android. I ordered the Google Nexus One in January 2010 (when it came out). Even though I haven’t been happy with HTC’s customer service (Hank highlighted this in one of his previous posts), the phone itself is awesome. There are some unique apps that you won’t find in iPhone App Store; such as Google Goggles   (http://www.google.com/mobile/goggles/#landmark) and Talk To Me(http://www.droidapps.org/talk-to-me-android-translator/). Below is a photo I took with the Nexus One in a restaurant when I visited friends in Boston, Massachusetts over the spring break. Our server was all too happy to pose.

The name of the restaurant in the photo is FiRE + iCE at Harvard Square, Cambridge.They also have a blog! http://fire-ice.com/blog/ Jaideep.

Pinball as a platform for entrepreneurship

This blog was submitted by 10:30 ENTR200 Team 10 member Ariana on behalf of herself +  Spencer, Brian and Shawn. Hank

For some, pinball seems like a lost art.  Something that may have been popular once and, like many other fads, is on the downfall of its rise to success.  To Greg Freres and Dennis Nordman, they would not take this sitting down.  In June of 2009, these two friends were reunited in Seattle for a pinball collector’s

Greg Freres shown here with what is created so far for Whoa Nellie!

show where they quickly learned about various custom pinball projects in the works and felt the timing was right to reconnect our passion for design with the product that they know so well.

From their meeting in Seattle came the idea of WhizBang Pinball,( http://whizbangpinball.blogspot.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whizbang-Pinball/103211373044997 ).  This is where Greg and Dennis will target both pinball enthusiasts and art collectors alike, or anyone that appreciates a new approach to an iconic platform.  They are currently working on their first project which is recreating “Whoa Nellie”, see below.  They are planning on taking pinball to a new level by recreating what they already loved about the machines and combine that with uniquely art, technology and entertainment in a new yet familiar way.

Greg Freres has done the back glass for pinball machines for a countless number of years and I have seen him do amazing work.  With the economy the way it is, it seemed like pinball machines were a fad of the past.  When the two of them got the idea for this, it seemed like an opportunity that they could not pass up.  I have known him and his daughter since I was born and am now roommates with her.  She stated that their basement has turned into his crazy workspace and that is where Greg spends most of his days now.  There are days when he doesn’t leave his ‘office,’ but he is hoping the amount of time and money spent on the project so far will be worth it.

When I recently asked Greg about how he felt about being an entrepreneur he simply said, “We’ll see.”-Ariana

From Pinball

From Nwokedi: Jason Fried of 37 Signals

I recently received the following note from Nwokedi; it is well worth ENTR200 student’s time to read. My thanks to Nwokedi for thinking of readers of this blog. Jason and his cofounder have a best seller Rework also. An interview with Leo is embedded at bottom.  And yes, my iPad arrived as advertised shortly before noon yesterday. So far, it’s a giant iPhone. Hank

Btw, Jason Fried of 37Signals was at Krannert [a week ago] Tuesday. I’m surprised the talk wasn’t more widely publicized. I thought your students would have enjoyed his heretical perspective on business and entrepreneurship. At any rate, here are my notes on it:
http://lifedefacto.com/2010/03/jason-fried-of-37signals-building-a-business/

3D-TV

This is the new way to watch TV and movies from your house. 3D TV is going to be moving to households within the next year. Everybody is unsure if it will be a success but Panasonic is ready to start sending out their new machine. You will receive one pair of glasses and then you can start watching your favorite available 3D movies. There are multiple companies that are going to come out with this new technology. You will need to purchase a new TV with 3D capabilities and then the 3D DVD player to play the movies. Sony and Samsung are among the others that are also pursuing this new way to watch movies. This would be a great buy but for how much is the question. With flat screen HD TVs becoming very cheap in price the new 3D TVs and DVD players might be at a price that is too high for consumers to want to invest in. The new 3D TVs are going for $2000-$3000 dollars in price while the 3D DVD player is going for a price of $350 dollars. Then you will have to buy accessories like multiple 3D glasses and receivers to hook everything that is 3D together. So if you are an early adopter this will be something that will be right up your alley, but are you brave enough to spend the cash that it will take to make it worth your buck. See video below. Lastly, here is a link to a recent NYTime’s article spelling out advertising strategies for the firms involved in rolling out 3D-Tv.

From 9am ENTR200 class Team 7 Austin, Aditya, Abhinandan, Soroosh & Steven

Have A Happy Friday: Wife Didn’t

Mirakle Couriers

This blog was submitted by ENTR200 9am class Team 8, Lars, Mahmood, Kamran and Ryan. It is about a social cause and non profit. Their inspiration came from the following link: .http://springwise.com/index.php?page=4

India has one of the largest deaf populations in the world, but social stigmas have eliminated many job opportunities for the roughly 6 percent of the population that is affected. Aiming to empower this isolated group economically, Mirakle Couriers is a service provider that hires only deaf workers.

Mirakle Couriers offers a pickup and delivery service in Mumbai. The company puts a heavy emphasis on the training of employees—right down to the finer points of professional grooming—and has grown dramatically since its late 2008 launch. Its client list now includes Johnson Controls, Bain Capital and the Indian Hotels Company, among many others.

Founded by former investment banker Dhruv Lakra, Mirakle Couriers stresses that it is “not a charity but a social business, where the social element is embedded in the commercial operations”. The firm plans to expand beyond Mumbai to other cities and countries around the world. Social entrepreneurs hither and yon: time to get in touch…? (Related: Adventures for sighted and non-sighted travellers — Network for people with disabilities.

Website: www.miraklecouriers.com
Contact: dhruv.lakra@miraklecouriers.com

[Hank: I've embedded a video at bottom of an interview with their founder. The background on their logo is also interesting. Their "About" page states:]

Our Logo

The term ‘Mirakle’ brings about a sense of inquisitiveness about us in people’s minds and also connotes the wonders deaf people can do. To broaden the message about sign language and make people aware of how deaf people talk to each other, the ‘I’ in Mirakle has been shown in the Indian sign language. The dot on the ‘I’ implies reaching higher goals in life. The ‘K’ in Mirakle is for Karmic connection. Our tagline ‘Delivering Possibilities’ stands for the capabilities of our deaf employees; it makes people aware it is possible to mainstream deaf adults.

Batter Blaster – BbB

Selling like hotcakes!

Just when it seemed the only new technology with real marketing potential had to be electronic, someone came up with The Batter Blaster; pancake batter in an aerosol can.   It makes perfect pancakes or waffles with the press of a finger.  Not that food in a spray can is anything new; think  Easy Cheese!  Why didn’t anyone think of spray batter before now? Sean O’Connor, a 36 year old co-owner of a café in San Francisco, thought of the idea in 2000.  He didn’t actually test the idea until he met the woman of his dreams a few years ago.  “She loves waffles,” O’Connor said. “And when we started dating, it was like ‘Oh yeah, baby, I’ll make you waffles.’ That’s what got me back into mixing the batter.” Launched a little over a year ago Batter Blaster exceeded sales goals by selling over 400,000 units in the first 4 month’s.

Joining the ranks of bagged salads, and pre-shredded cheese,  Batter Blaster solves a couple of problems.  It makes pancakes fast and easy to prepare, but it’s also delicious and made of organic ingredients.  This batter is actually more healthful than pancake mix, with-out the mess! It was easy getting the batter into the can, but it wasn’t easy convincing other’s that this was a great idea.  “The biggest challenge of the whole thing was going to raise money,” O’Connor says “Try telling someone, ‘I have this idea. We’re going to put pancakes in a can,’ and not have them laugh you out of the room.”

Environmentalists are not fond of this new addition to our throw away mentality.  The metal can and plastic lid might add to our landfills if those too lazy to mix up a batch of pancakes might also be too lazy to recycle.  But, in defense of the seemingly lazy cook, I can’t make a pancake to save my life. They end up too heavy and either under or over cooked.    My husband is the pro-pancake maker in our house.  But what if the kids want pancakes and he isn’t around?  Batter Blaster to the rescue.  It makes a perfectly yummy pancake every time, especially when it’s topped off with Ready Wip!

What type of batter will they blast next? Beth Carroll